Port Vale F.C. is an English professional association football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, The club was formed in 1876, in 1884 they took the name Burslem Port Vale F.C., dropping the 'Burslem' in 1907.

They played their home matches at The Old Recreation Ground between 1912 and 1950 and at Vale Park from 1950 to the present day. The club joined the Football League in 1892 as founder members of the Football League Second Division. The club enjoyed great success in the 1950s when they were FA Cup semi-finalists in 1954 and won two divisional titles with Freddie Steele's "Iron Curtain" defence and then Norman Low's more attacking style. John Rudge was manager from 1983 to 1999; under his leadership the club lifted the Football League Trophy in 1993 and reached eighth in the second tier in the 1996–97 season. Since his reign the club has declined, slipping into the fourth tier whilst entering twice administration in 2003 and 2012. The decline was arrested and brought the club out of administration in 2012 and manager Micky Adams achieved automatic promotion from League Two in the 2012–13 season. Port Vale was later relegated during the 2016/17 season back to the English Football League Two.

Port Vale FC has always offered opportunities to players of all ages but will continue to encourage youth development and the promotion of young players to the first team, an added incentive to develop our players are the sales to ensure a better return for investment in our youth.
The important thing is they are looked after and is it done properly and Port Vale will not stop that happening any more or any less.
"Make, rather than buy, is our intention." The Vale Way

What is the Vale Way?

‘The Vale Way’ is an Elite Player Development Program.
• Vicinity - Vale Park will promote the development of home grown players and it will support our desire to create an outstanding learning environment.

• Approach - All aspects of a player's development are catered for: Technical,Physical, Physiological, Mental, Social and Intellectual.

• Learning - All players registered with our Academy know what is expected of them in order to reach their potential. Port Vale Youth Academy we have a pathway from seven years of age to the first team.

• Everyone - The Players, Staff and the Parents- everyone associated with Port Vale's Youth Academy understands the role that they play our program.

Numerous players throughout the clubs history have enjoyed long careers with the club Gareth Ainsworth is the player Vale have both received and spent the highest sum on in the transfer market, £500,000 spent in 1997 with £2,000,000 received as he was sold the following year. There were many significant figures at the club, such as Willie Aitken, who went on to serve as head coach at Juventus. Chris Birchall is the club's record international cap holder with 22, playing for Trinidad and Tobago between 2001 and 2006, including three appearances in the 2006 World Cup graduated from the youth development programme from the age of nine before a £300,000 move to Coventry.

Some of the: Players Graduated from the Youth include:

• Anthony Gardner - Starting his career with Port Vale as a 12yr old - in 1998, who earned a £1,000,000 move to Tottenham Hotspur. He spent eight years at the Premier League club, racking up 142 appearances over all competitions. In 2008 he spent time on loan at both Everton and Hull City, before signing permanently with the "Tigers" in summer 2008 for £2.5 million and most recently signed at Sheffield Wed (June 2012)
• Billy Paynter - starting back as a 10yr old, and at only 16 years and 294 days old Billy makes his first appearance, makes him the youngest Vale player for twenty years to walk out on Vale Park v Walsall he went on and made over 150 appearances in his six years
with the club, being voted Player of the Year in 2005. Sold to Hull City in 2006 for initial fee £150,000 rising to £250.000 and later onto Swindon and Leeds 2012 currently at Doncaster (2013)
• Luke Prosser- He played in the Vale youth system as a trainee before penning a 12 month deal in June 2009 as a professional, Luke features more regularly for Southend now, during the 2012–13 season, he enjoyed a good run of form at his preferred position of centre-half. He also captained the side on 9 February 2013, in a 1–1 draw with Accrington Stanley.
• Dave Hibbert - started his career rising through the ranks from the age of nine years old- Starting his professional career with Port Vale in 2004, the following year he was signed in controversial fashion by Preston North End – who eventually paid Vale £45,000 for his services He has scored 35 goals in 177 league and cup games in a nine year career.
• Joe Anyon at Shrewsbury (2013) - Sam Morsy at Chesterfield(2013) - Louis Briscoe at
Mansfield (2013) Joe Cardle at Raith Rovers(2013) Sam Johnson at Port Vale (2013)
Joe Davis at Port Vale (2013) Ryan Lloyd at Port Vale (2013), Ryan Boot at Port Vale
(2014), Billy Reeves at Port Vale (2015), Dan Turner at Port Vale FC (2015), Nathan Smith at Port Vale (2016), James Gibbons at Port Vale (2017)